The role of packaging in minimising food waste in the supply chain of the future

This report focuses on packaging opportunities that may help to reduce or recover food waste, proposes opportunities for industry to address food waste through innovative and sustainable primary, secondary and tertiary packaging. Food security is an emerging challenge for policy makers and companies in the food supply chain. The global population is expected to grow to 9 billion and demand for food by 77% by 2050. Over the same period food production will be under threat from climate change, competing land uses, erosion and diminishing supplies of clean water. One of the solutions to this dilemma is increased efficiency and waste reduction in the food supply chain. This report focuses on packaging opportunities that may help to reduce or recover food waste. Packaging has a vital role to play in containing and protecting food as it moves through the supply chain to the consumer. It already reduces food waste in transport and storage, and innovations in packaging materials, design and labelling provide new opportunities to improve efficiencies. Product protection needs to be the primary goal for packaging sustainability, and sometimes this requires trade-offs between packaging and food waste. The report draws on an international literature review and interviews with representatives from 15 organisations in the Australian food and packaging supply chain. It considers food waste along the entire food supply chain, but with a particular emphasis on food waste that occurs prior to consumption, i.e. during agriculture production, post-harvest handling and storage of raw materials, and in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector consisting of food manufacturing, wholesale trade, food retail and distribution and food services. Food rescue through charities is also a focus of the report. Over 4.2 million tonnes of food waste is disposed to landfill in Australia each year. Around 1.5 million tonnes of this is from the commercial and industrial sector (the focus of this report), costing around $10.5 billion in waste disposal charges and lost product. The largest single contributor in the commercial and industrial sector is food service activities (e.g., cafes, restaurants, fast food outlets), which generate 661,000 tonnes of food waste per year, followed by food manufacturing (312,000 tonnes) and food retail (179,000 tonnes). Most waste in food manufacturing is unavoidable, and almost 90% is already recovered as animal feed, compost or energy

Food waste opportunities within the food wholesale and retail sectors

The aim of this research project is to provide the NSW Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA) with a better understanding of the opportunities and barriers to reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill from the wholesale, logistics and retail sector. This report presents the research findings and provides a series of recommendations as to how NSW EPA can most effectively engage with these sectors within the food supply chain to maximise performance while minimising disruption and costs

Channel Management and differentiation strategies: A case study from the market for fresh produce

The paper analyses the current differentiation strategies in the market for fresh produce. First a short review of the literature on channel structure and product differentiation is presented, in order to identify, on a theoretical grounding the incentives for differentiation strategies. Second, a case study is drawn of a UK channel intermediary organisation carrying out differentiation policies in the fresh produce category (on behalf of UK multiple retailer customers) supplied by a dedicated Italian grower. Results show that in the fresh produce industry there is room for product differentiation, but with contradictory welfare effects.fresh produce, product differentiation, channel structure and management, Agribusiness, Marketing,

Green Jobs in a Sustainable Food System

The U.S. food sector is among the most productive in the world and is a significant driver of our economy. Yet, it's failing us in major ways -- putting public health, livelihoods and our environment at great risk. Obesity and diabetes rates are rising, communities are plagued by food deserts, and agriculture runoff is the biggest source of pollution in our rivers and lakes.The good news is that communities across the country are addressing this crisis in innovative ways. Through different community-based efforts, local activists and food advocates are finding ways to improve community health and environmental outcomes while creating a more economically equitable food system.It is within this context that this report identifies opportunities to transform jobs in the green economy and enhance environmental and economic equity outcomes in the future. The initial analysis promises opportunities for workers to build long-term skills, and emphasizes the importance of linking local efforts to broader regional and national policy platforms. This multi-level engagement and collaboration will help set in motion the systemic changes needed to create a more sustainable and equitable food system

Evidence on the Role of Supplier-retailer Trading Relationships and Practices in Waste Generation in the Food Chain

This report presents the results of the project entitled “Evidence on the role of supplier-retailer trading relationships and practices in waste generation in the food chain” commission by Defra (Project Code SFFSD0705) and undertaken by Cranfield University and IGD between July 2008 and June 2009. The overall aim of the project was to provide a qualitative analysis of the food and packaging waste arising from the link between food manufacturers and retailers in the UK. The specific objectives of the project were: To identify the root causes of waste between suppliers and retailers in the UK To assess the magnitude of each root cause To identify good practices and examine the enablers and inhibitors of their implementation To provide recommendations at a company and government level that will help the food and retail industries to jointly address the root causes of waste The study had a UK perspective and it focused on the relationship between food retailers and their suppliers, and how their business processes and practices affect waste. Waste of finished products, discarded by producers, wholesalers, hauliers or retailers was the primary focus, and waste arising during production and agricultural processes was excluded from the study. However, during the project we collected additional information concerning other stages of the chain and other countries, which we have used for comparative purposes

Systems maps and analytical framework. Mapping food waste drivers across the food supply chain

This report generated 17 systems maps for five contrasting product types that were investigated along their supply chains. The system maps identify: (1) Product specific drivers: drivers specific to the selected food products at a specific stage of the supply chain); (2) Generic drivers: drivers which concern two or more selected products (e.g. labelling errors, limited shelf life etc.); (3) Systemic drivers: drivers that are interlinked with more than one step of the supply chain (e.g. minimum orders, last minute cancellation, lack of data and communication, minimum life on receipt criteria etc.). The cross cutting systemic drivers emphasized supply chain issues, e.g. regarding notably the interactions between the different businesses and unfair trading practices. The systems map approach also shed light on two key factors that impact drivers according to the product specificity: (1) Impacts of food waste drivers highly depend on the level of perishability and microbiological risk of food products. For example, less perishable food products such as frozen and canned products are more likely to be wasted because of product damage, labelling errors and/or equipment breakdown. More perishable and higher risk food products are more likely to be wasted when approaching the \u201cbest before\u201d date or because of supply and demand imbalances and poor information sharing along the supply chain. (2) Lack of communication and cooperation is a central drivers of food waste. The impacts of these are higher in more complex products/supply chains where trouble with one ingredient affects the whole product (e.g. prepared meals). Finally, the systems mapping shed light on drivers which were \u201chiding\u201d behind other drivers. For example, the question of date labelling is a well-known cause of waste for perishable products, but very often there are further drivers behind it (e.g. overstocking in the retail sector)

Static efficiency in Dutch supermarket chain

In this study, we analyse changes in market power in the Dutch supermarket chain and discuss the effects on welfare. The supermarket chain includes consumers, supermarkets, buyer groups and food manufactures. We look at the theoretical background of market power. �Special attention has been paid to recent theories of buyer power of retailers in the vertical chain. Theory suggests that supermarkets can enhance their buyer power by, for instance, using own private brands as an outside option in bargaining with manufacturers. Using firm-level data, indicators reveal that profit margins of both supermarkets and of manufacturers have declined between 1993 and 2005. Hence, competition on these markets seems to have become tougher and mark-ups lower over time. Furthermore, we find no significant empirical indications that supermarkets were able to use their buyer power to shift profits from manufacturers to supermarkets after 1993. Finally, all else equal, in terms of welfare consumers have benefited from fiercer competition in terms of lower prices.

Food waste drivers in Europe, from identification to possible interventions

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Impact of Organized Retailing on the Unorganized Sector

The retail business, in India, is estimated to grow at 13 per cent per annum from US$322 billion in 2006-07 to US$ 590 billion in 2011-12. The unorganized retail sector is expected to grow at about 10 per cent per annum from US$309 billion 2006-07 to US$ 496 billion in 2011-12. Organized retail which now constitutes a small four per cent of retail sector in 2006-07 is likely to grow at 45-50 per cent per annum and quadruple its share of total retail trade to 16 per cent by 2011-12. The study, which was based on the largest ever survey of all segments of the economy that could be affected by the entry of large corporates in the retail business, has found that unorganized retailers in the vicinity of organized retailers experienced a decline in sales and profit in the initial years of the entry of organized retailers. The adverse impact, however, weakens over time. The study has indicated how consumers and farmers benefit from organized retailers. The study has also examined the impact on intermediaries and manufacturers. The results are indicative of the mega-and-minimetro cities around a limited number of organized retail outlets. Based on the results of the surveys, the study has made a number of specific policy recommendations for regulating the interaction of large retailers with small suppliers and for strengthening the competitive response of the unorganized retailers.Retail Sector, Organised Retail, Unorganised Retail, Kirana store, Food Supply Chain